Briquet-machine.



No. 888,263. PATBNTED MAR, 31, 1908. K. WESSEL.

BRIQUBT MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 1906.

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No. 883,263. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1908.

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BRIQUET MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 1906.

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No. 883,263. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1908.

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BRIQUET MAGHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 7, 1906.

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KARL WESSEL, OF ST. PAUII, MINNESOTA.

BRIQUE T-MACHIN E Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 31, 1908.

Application filed May 7, 1906. Serial No. 315,526.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL WESSEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Briquet-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

7 My invention has for its object to provide an improved briquet machine especially adapted for use to compress pulverizedor crushed peat and lignite into the form of' solid blocks or bricks, usually designated as briquets.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the improved machine, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the improved machine in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line :20 r of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the head block of the mold, and Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 00 x of Fig. 4. p

The numeral 1 indicates a heavy bed casting which constitutes the frame of the machine, and is formed with three heavy upright bearing plates 2, and with an inclined front plate 3. In the upper portions of the bearing plates 2 is journaled a heavy transverse counter-shaft 4 which, as shown, carries a pair of eccentrics 5 and a pair of large spur gears 6, one of which eccentrics is set 180 degrees ahead of the other, and which gears are spaced apart laterally and located outward of the outermost bearing plates 2. The gears 6 mesh with spur pinions 7 that are carried by the driving shaft 8, that is mounted in suitable bearings on the u per rear portions of the bearing plates 2. is shown, this driving shaft 8 carries a pair of fly-wheels 9 and a driving pulley 10, over the latter of which a power-driven belt (not shown) will in practice be run to impart motion to the said driving shaft 8.

On the lower portion of the inclined front bearing plate 3 of the machine frame is a heavy bearing lug 11, the outer portion of which, as shown, is rigidly tied to the upper portions of the upright bearing plates 2, by means of heavy tension bolts or rods 12.

On the bearing lug 11. is rigidly seated a heavy bushing 13, the upper end of which is flanged to limit its downward movement in its seat within the lug 11. This bushing 13 is set with its axis inclined and parallel to the inclined face of the bearing plate 3 and also parallel to the tie bolts or rods 12. Firmly seated within the bushing 13 is a sleeve-like mold or die 14 having, as shown and preferred, a longitudinally-extended. bore or plunger seat that is round in cross section. About one-half of the lower portion of the mold 14 is cut away throughout a proximately 180 degrees, and the seat thus 'ormed is fitted with a segmental su plementary sleeve section 14". The sleeve-like mold 14 is preferably flanged at its upper end, and has threaded engagement with the up er end of the bushing 13, so that it is firm y held therein and cannot be forced axially downward into the bushing 13 farther than shown in Fig. 3. The su plementary sleeve section 14 is also forme with a flange 14 at its upper end that engages a seat formed therefor in the bushing 13, and locks the said supplemental section against endwise movement, and at the same time affords a fulcrum permitting the lower portion of said su ple mental section to move laterally to a sight extent with respect to the lower end of the notched ortion of the sleeve-like mold 14. The longitudinal edges of the supplemental mold section 14 are slightly tapered so as to permit a slight oscillatory or angular movement with respect to the lower end of the mold, this being done for an important pur ose which will hereinafter appear. The sai su plemental mold section 14' is adapted to fie adjusted by a set-screw 15 that works through the lower end of the bushing 13 and impinges against the outer surface thereof, as best shown in Fig. 3. The numeral 16 indicates a cap-nut which is adapted to be screwed onto the lower end of the mold, the lower end of the notched portion of said mold and the lower end of the supplemental section 14 being threaded to receive this cap-nut. The purpose of this cap-nut will also be resently stated.

Rigi ly secured to the inclined front bearingLpIate 3 of the machine frame is a plungergui ing block 17. A compression plunger 18 works in the seat of the block 17 and moves into and out of the mold 14. The seat for the plunger 18 in the block 17 is formed with a lateral opening 19 that re ceives direct from the lower end of a supply hopper 20, that is rigidly secured to the ma.- chine frame and to the said block- 17 The compression plunger 18 is rigidly secured to a cross-head 21 mounted to reciprocate on a cross-head guide 22, that is rigidly secured to the inclined bearing plate 3, and extends in a plane parallel to the plane of the axis of the mold 14 and plunger 18.

The mold, compression plunger, cross-head and su ply hopper above described are in the pre' erred form of this machine arranged in duplicate, and each of the two cross-heads 21 is connected to one of the two eccentrics 5 above described, by a heavy eccentric strap and connecting rod 23-. By this arrangement one of the compression plungers 18 will be given its operative or down stroke while the other is being given its inoperative or upward stroke. Otherwise stated, the two compression plungers will be thrown into action in alternate order.

The pulverized or crushed lignite, peat, or solid material which is to be compressed into briquet form is placed in the hopper 2O and will be supplied to the molds through the ports or slots 19 of the guide blocks 17. When the plungers 18 are in their extreme uppermost positions their lower ends will be carried above the said ports 19, so that the pulverized material may then run into the plunger seat of the block 17 and. into the bore of the mold. When the compression plunger is moved downward. and into the mold it compresses the material in the mold into briquet form. The several blocks or bricks will always remain within the mold, and to force these out of the mold in succession as the successive briquets are com pressed requires a very considerable force. The amount of force required, and. hence the frictional resistance, may be varied at will by angular adjustments of the mold section 14. When the said mold section 14 is ad.- justed with its cylindrical surface parallel to the cylindrical surface of the body of the mold, no very great friction will be put upon the formed blocks. But when the lower end of said mold section 14 is forced laterally inward so as to contract the lower end of the mold, very great friction may be put upon the formed blocks so that a very great compressing force of the plunger 18 on the block being compressed will be required to effect the discharge of the lowermost of the briquets from the mold. Hence, by the adjustments of the said mold section 14 the base of reaction which the briquets within the mold offer to the compressing force may be so varied that any desired compression may be put upon the briquets.

For the purpose of eflecting a proper comout breaking.

pression of the first few briquets formed in the mold, the cap-nut 16 should be applied to the lower end of the mold, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. After the said first fessz blocks have been compressed within the mold, the said cap-nut must be removed, and the mold section 14 must then, be properly adjusted. When the briquets are compressed in rapid succession a great deal of heat is generated so that the mold will get hot. A considerable amount of heat is desired in the mold in order'to properly fuse or melt together the outer particles of the .briquet-forming material, and thereby insure briquets of solidified form and which are capable of considerable rough handling with- In cases where too great heat is produced the mold may be water-jacketed, and for this purpose (see Fig. 3) the bushing 13 is shown as formed. with angular chambers 1 3 that directly surround the mold,

The water-circulating connections to and from the water chambers 13 are not shown in the drawings, and it is not nceessary for being thrown into action simultaneously, a

great economy and power are accomplished and a much lighter machine is made possible. It is, of course, evident that the machine arranged to compress the briquets in succession. as above described, may be no heavier or stronger than a machine of the same character having but one briquet-forming. die and compression plunger, since the work of compressing the two briquets comes at different times, and the maximum strain on the machine is measured by the force required to compress one briquet.

The compression plungers 22 always maintain engagement with the guide-block 17, but when moved to their extreme uppermost positions are raised high enough to-entirely open up the inlet ports 19. It will, of course, be understood that three, or even four','molds in the compression plungers may be employed and that all may be operated by a common power transmission mechanism arranged to throw said plungers into action in succession, and in such manner that only the material of the dies will be subjected to high compression at any one time.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a mold and a cooperating compression plunger, of means for reciproeating said plunger, and a cap rigidly but combination with a mold and a cooperating of said mold, substantially as described and compression plunger, said mold having at for the purposes set forth. 10 its elivery portion a segmental section, In testimony whereof I afiix my signature means for imparting a lateral angular adin presence of two witnesses.

justment to said. segmental mold section to KARL WESSEL. contract the delivery end thereof, means for Witnesses:

reciprocating said plunger, and a cap rigidly MALIE HoEL,

but detachably securable to the delivery end F. D. MERGHANJ. 

